The invention pertains to digital data processing and, more particularly, to automated methods and apparatus for managing and routing work. The invention has application, by way of non-limiting example, in call service centers and in other applications requiring routing and/or assignment of tasks to resources.
Work can be thought of, by way of non-limiting example, as consisting of individual work items that are subject to a workflow that solves a particular problem. A resource is a person, system or a piece of equipment, by way of further example, that has a capacity for work. Intelligent routing, assignment and/or work management (sometimes referred to below collectively as “routing”) of work items to resources is a critically important problem in today's large and complex business environments.
Regardless of the specifics, routing problems share the following characteristics: there may be a large number of tasks (e.g., many call service center customers waiting in queues for service); workflows are often complex and may not be highly differentiated; available resources typically vary greatly in level of skill, and the more skilled or apt resources are typically scarce. The bottom line in many business applications, at least, is that customers expect fast, efficient service, so routing decisions have to be good and have to be made quickly. They also have to be effectively managed in light of evolving deadlines and circumstances.
Computer based systems for assigning work to resources are well known in the art. Such systems include discrete-parts manufacturing scheduling systems, batch process scheduling systems, optimization systems for matching energy producers with consumers, and call center workflow routers. Simple systems of this type consider one work item at a time; they take the next work item from a queue, search for a resource that is capable of performing the work, and make the assignment.
The advantages of such a simple system are that it is easy to implement, and that it makes fast decisions. The main drawback of such a system is that it can easily make bad decisions. The resource assigned in this simple way may be better utilized if it were assigned to a work item further back in the queue. Thus, more sophisticated systems consider multiple work items at the same time. Assignments are made taking into account costs and capacities of resources, so that the cheapest resources are used whenever possible. This results in significantly better decisions, than those from the most simple system. However, there are still problems that more sophisticated systems in the prior art do not properly address.
An object of this invention is to provide improved methods and systems for routing (and/or assigning) items to resources.
A further object is to provide such methods and systems for managing a pool of assigned items to pursue continued optimizations.
A related object is to provide such methods and systems as facilitate the ongoing management, e.g., reassignment, of items as deadlines and other service levels are passed.
Another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus for service level driven skills-based routing.
Another more particular object of the invention is to provide such methods and systems as achieve optimal assignment of work items to resources.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such methods and systems as can be applied in a range of applications, business-related or otherwise.
Still other objects are to provide such methods and systems as can be implemented on a variety of platforms and without undue expense or resource consumption.